New Conditions
by Callisto-HK
Summary: Yes. Things definitely have changed and they already have too many problems. But there's always more than meets the eye./Set in season 6. Rated T for language./ *Spoiler Warning*
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story is happening during **season 6**, some time between episode 14 and episode 15. **It probably has some spoilers for main things in this season and if you still haven't watched episode 14, you better not read this one. **Well, unless you know the whole story!_

_I don't intend to say much now. Just because I think whatever I say would probably reveal what this story is about and I really like you to wait a little bit to find out! :D (Evil, huh?:D)... But I think I'd say a few words after the second chapter!_

_This first chapter is a little different from all I've ever written and even different form the other next chapters. I had to write it this way, but I assure you there **IS **a plot to this story._

_Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) ... And please remember that your comments and reviews will help me a lot. (- Just as they will make my day! -__ :D__) ..** Let me know what you think of every chapter.**_

_Enjoy it. :)_

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**- New Conditions - 1**

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It hadn't been a really hard case. They had been able to wrap it up pretty fast, and as far as Sam knew, nothing had happened during the case. But he couldn't keep his mind away from the look on Dean's face. He couldn't put his finger on anything yet. He had a weird gut feeling but couldn't name it. He just felt something was off, however he didn't have any reason to bring it up to the words. He hadn't really seen anything wrong or weird in Dean's behavior. Well, OK, maybe that wasn't completely true, but He had been away from Dean for more than one year, after all. How could he be sure that this new look on his face wasn't something usual these days? He couldn't say he knew what was going on with Dean and he didn't know how should he ask him about it?  
>'<em>Hey Dean, what's going on with you? You look different. Older. Tired. Your grins and smiles are not so genuine anymore. It looks like you've gone to the end of the world and somehow we've stopped an apocalypse and your life hadn't been all that easy and happy after that. Like you were trying to get my soul back. Oh, wait. That all really had happened. Well, in that case, you have every right to look tired and spent.'<em> Sam shook his head and opened the bathroom's door to enter the room just in time to find Dean sitting heavily on a chair with lines of pain all over his face.

Dean ,however, instantly put himself back together as soon as he felt Sam's present in the room. He looked up and smiled. "Anything interesting in that bathroom?"

"Huh?"

"Man, you have been in there forever. What were you doing really?"

"Taking a shower." Sam shrugged." What? You didn't want to take another shower within half an hour, did you?"

"Half an hour?" Dean raised his eyebrow."Had you stayed in there just a little longer and I would be able to kill another monster here. Since when a shower takes two hours? I mean, I know with that hair of yours it should take long. But this long? Boy, what's the difference between you and a chick?"

"Dean, are you alright?" Sam decided to ignore Dean's teasing, knowing well that it was his way to deflect Sam's mind from what he had seen after coming out of the bathroom.

Dean didn't budge, though. "Hmm. Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't look so hot."

"You're just jealous. You've spent two hours in the bathroom and you still don't look half as good as me."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I take it back. You haven't changed a bit."

Dean grinned."Neither have you."

...

Sam woke up slowly. Looking at his watch, his eyes widened when he saw it was half past nine and Dean hadn't tried to wake him up earlier. Looking around the room and finding no sign of Dean, he got up and went to the window. Impala wasn't in the parking lot, which meant Dean was out. Sam wondered why Dean hadn't called him and though he knew after spending such a long time alone, it was still not like Dean to walk out with no word. He decided to take a shower and if Dean wasn't back after that, he would call him. But when he went to grab some clothes, Dean's duffel bag caught his eyes. Remembering their last few days, he couldn't resist checking it to see if Dean was hiding something.

"Looking for something?" Dean's voice startled him. _Damn he was lucky_. Just when he had started going through his bag, Dean had stepped into the room.

Sam gulped."Umm. Hi. I was looking for.. for a shirt."

"Something wrong with your owns? My shirts are not exactly your size. Haven't been since you were twenty." Dean sat on his bed.

"I can find something that could fit me. My own clothes are all dirty."

"O yeah? Thought you did the laundry the day before yesterday. You want something, Sam, just tell me. I'll give it to you. You don't need to rummage through my stuff behind my back." Dean lay on his side and for the first time Sam saw that how pale and tired he really looked.

"I told you, I just wanted a shirt. Where were you, anyway?"

"Out. My car had some problems. I went to find a mechanic."

Sam raised his eyebrow."Since when you let a stranger checks your car?"

"Since I don't have all the equipments I need to fix it and we're nowhere close to Bobby's yard."

Although Sam knew that wasn't the truth, he had no reason to argue. Dean's excuse seemed perfect and he wasn't exactly in the best position. He had been caught when he was going through Dean's stuff and he knew that Dean knew that he wasn't really looking for a shirt. He just nodded and stood up."I'm going to take a shower. We can leave if you want after that."

"Hmm. Alright. We better take a detour to that store we saw last night to buy you some shirts." Dean said sarcastically."What are you gonna wear after the shower?"

"I'll find something."

"Grab that green T-shirt." Dean gestured to his bag, letting Sam go on with his lie. He didn't feel like discussing and though he didn't know what Sam might have possibly wanted in his bag, he wanted and needed to trust him again after everything they had been through.

...

It was almost two weeks later when it happened again. This time, though, Sam woke up when Dean silently left the room. He stayed in the bed for a long time, but after a couple of hours he gave up waiting for Dean to come back. So he just got up and sat behind his computer, trying to distract his mind. After checking a few articles and some sites, he decided to take a shower to clear his mind. Nothing had worked, though. His mind was racing a mile a minute. Rummaging through his jacket's pocket, he pulled out a note and went back to his laptop to check the name that he had on it. It didn't take long when he received the result. Although he was somehow suspicious, the result was more than what he could take. He couldn't believe his eyes. Refreshing the page he waited and wished for getting a different result. A few seconds had passed and Sam's eyes got fixed with the exactly same result. He closed his eyes and sighed. Things were worse than what he had anticipated. And if it was correct, it was way worse. The sound of the door jarred Sam out of his thoughts.

"Morning." Dean greeted as he entered the room, smiling widely.

"Hi. Where were you?" Sam asked, trying hard not to jump to the main question that was bothering him.

"Breakfast." Dean said casually as he put the bag on the table.

"Where did you take it from? DC? You left a little after seven and now it's half past eleven." Sam challenged.

"I couldn't decide what to take."Dean shrugged as if it was so usual.

"Yeah? Then I hope you have something in your mind for the lunch, otherwise we wouldn't get it sooner than midnight."

Dean took a sip of his coffee."What's your problem? It's not like we have anything else to do."

"I just wanna know where you've been. What's bothering you that you're not talking about? You still don't trust me, I get it. But-"

Dean's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa. Stop there McHasty. Where did that come from? Who said that I don't trust you?"

"Well, you don't talk about yourself. You don't talk about your problems. Hell, you don't talk about _our _problems. You don't even mention the thing we, or rather you and the soulless me, had done in the past. It seems like you don't trust me enough to talk about things like that. You just talk about unimportant things."

"Sam, when have I ever talked about myself or my problems? Not that I have any problems. I'm just saying that if, and _**if **_there's anything, it's not like me to talk about it and you know it. I don't talk about past, because we can't change it and I told you like _thousand_ times that **YOU **_shouldn't_ scratch that wall. Dammit, leave it there. Trust me for once. "

"Okay. Okay... This is not about me."

Dean rolled his eyes."The point is I trust you with my life."

"Thanks, but the point is you're lying about where you've been. About what you're doing when you think I don't notice."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I went to grab something for breakfast. Alright, I might have needed some fresh air. But that doesn't mean I've been lying to you." Dean folded his arms on his chest .

"Isn't there anything you wanna tell me? Anything that might have slipped your mind." Sam sat straight on the chair.

"You wanna be more specific? I might have forgotten to tell you many things, which means they haven't been really important."

"Then I suppose you don't call this one important." Sam turned the screen of his computer towards Dean, so he could see it.

It took Dean a few moments to get what he was looking at. His eyes widened in shock and for a fraction of a second he thought about ignoring everything and to pretend that he didn't know what that page was about. He decided to do the opposite, though. He just closed his eyes and took a deep breath first. Opening his eyes, he stared at Sam."Where did you get that?" his tone nothing close to what it was a few seconds ago.

"I searched." Sam shrugged.

"You know what I mean."

Sam sighed."I found a bottle in your jacket last night. This is the reason you left, isn't it? Is this what you're trying to hide?"

Dean ignored the question. "First checking my duffel bag. Now my jacket. Am I grounded, _dad_?" he emphasized the last word.

"Dean. I'm merely worried about you. You've been tired recently. And hey, don't forget you once offered me some pills and when I asked you about it, you just called them _effective_."

Dean looked away.

"Dean. Please. Is this true? Are you.. I mean.. Those pills. This article.. The way you act. I - .. I guess, I don't wanna believe it. Just tell me. Is that true?" Sam insisted.

"Yes. Dammit. You happy now?" Dean stood up sharply."It's true. But that's still nothing I can't handle and I don't wanna talk about it."

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**... TBC ...**

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_Dean: Lucky for you, I'm a doctor. I got Joe, grub, and..._  
><em>Sam: What are they?<em>  
><em>Dean: Effective.<em>

_Season 6 - episode 14 (Mannequin 3: The Reckoning)_

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><p><strong><em>AN 2: Alright , how was that for a start? :p_**

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	2. Chapter 2

_"Dean. Please. Is this true? Are you.. I mean.. Those pills. This article.. The way you act. I - .. I guess, I don't wanna believe it. Just tell me. Is that true?" Sam insisted._

_"Yes. Dammit. You happy now?" Dean stood up sharply."It's true. But that's still nothing I can't handle and I don't wanna talk about it."_

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Sam jumped to his feet and grabbed his arm. Dean looked down at his arm, up at Sam and again down at his arm. Sam pulled his hand away but kept looking at Dean with his puppy dog eyes.

Dean rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of one of the beds."Sam, there's nothing to talk about."

"Nothing to talk about? Dean. This thing is serious and if it's true which you just admitted, then, it means -"

"It doesn't mean anything." Dean cut him.

Sam stared at him in silence and finally gave up."At least tell me a little more. When did you find out about it? What's the problem exactly. What should you do now? Why didn't you tell me sooner? What are the risks? How-"

"You might wanna write down those questions. Don't you think that's too many at once?"

Sam remained silent, waiting for Dean to answer.

Dean sighed."You didn't need to know. Nobody does. At least I wouldn't let anyone know if I could. It's not keeping me from hunting, I kinda have my regular life. I just need to be more careful and stay on medications."

"I don't assume you've mentioned your job when your doctor was talking about _your_ _regular life_."

"Oh, you're wrong there. I told him that I'm a hunter and I hunt down all kind of evil supernatural bastards that he_ can or can't_ imagine. I admitted myself into the psych ward after that. But then I remembered I had a little bro out here, so I escaped." Dean said sarcastically.

"My point is your _regular life_ is not that safe and normal. You can't -"

"I can't what? Or why for that matter? Is that about risks? Well, we might get killed everyday, with or without a heart disease."

At that word Sam's face lost all color."Heart disease."he repeated under his breath, sounding a little scared as if it hadn't been real before Dean had actually said it aloud.

Dean narrowed his eyes."Yeah, genius. Why else do you think I would take Digoxin? You have the article in front of you."

"Does anyone else know about your condition?"

"Like Mom and Dad?" Dean grinned."They probably do."

"Like Bobby or Lisa."

"Bobby knows. Something. But Lisa doesn't know anything. It's started after I left our house. Umm.. Uh..Her house." Dean faltered.

"What's it exactly?"

"You're not in the mood of reading. Are you?" Dean sighed. "It's called Cardiomyopathy. Heart muscle disease. Or _severe myocardial disease_, if I wanna be more accurate."

"Why?"

"Why what? Why it's called _severe myocardial disease_? Well, probably because it is the deterioration of the function of the _myocardium_." Dean shrugged.

"Why you?"

"Because I'm cuter when I'm sick?" Dean grinned.

"Like you're cute at all?"

"And here we go, Samuel Jealous Winchester. Ladies and Gentlemen."

"How did you find out? Why it happened to you, Dean?" Sam wasn't about to allow Dean to drag his mind away from the main subject and he was pretty sure that was what Dean was trying to do.

"Well, according to the doctor that visited me in the first place, it could have several reasons and still no specific reason."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it could have happened just because of the massive stress. Life has never been nice to me... Or calm."Dean shrugged casually." Not weird to end up here, I guess."

"What about the symptoms?"

Sam frowned. "You really are enjoying to watch me go all _walking-medical-encyclopedia_, aren'tcha ?"

"Symptoms?" Sam demanded.

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir."Dean mocked."Chest pain. Every now and then."he replied."That's it." he added when Sam kept waiting.

"That's it?" Sam stared at him incredulously."You know what? Forget it. Why don't you go and take a shower. I'll check it myself. I won't get anything out of you."

Dean blinked in disbelief."You just made me look totally like _Dr. House_ and you say you won't get anything out of me? Whatever." he stood up."You won't find anything else, anyway. That really is it."

"Dr. House is a nephrologist."Sam put his head on his hand and watched Dean, as he grabbed some clothes and walked toward the bathroom.

"He's a _doctor_." Dean pointed out before closing the bathroom's door.

...

It was around 7 pm when Dean finally got tired of Sam's searching. It wasn't really _that_ complicated. He didn't know what was keeping Sam so busy. He had to admit, though, the whole thing wasn't really that bad. As much as he wanted to keep the whole thing to himself and Sam's digging had made him angry and uneasy first, he was glad now. It seemed like that for the first time after a long time, Sam had something else to focus on, instead of thinking about whatever the hell he had done during his soulless time. And damn if that wasn't a good thing. Dean would willingly do anything to keep Sam the way he was at that moment. To keep him away from that wall in his head. And if his heart condition was the thing, he would let Sam stay on it as long as he wanted.

"You realize we missed the lunch, right? Can you take a break, so we could at least have something for dinner?" Dean offered.

Sam turned his gaze form the screen. Looking out of the window,he felt dumbfounded when he saw the darkness outside. He really didn't understand how the time had flown.

"Yeah, I know that's an interesting topic. But you really need to feed your body, too." Dean leaned against the wall.

Sam took a deep breath and looked at Dean. He wanted to say something. To talk about his brother's problem. He felt abashed that Dean was still trying to make things better and easier for _him_, when he, himself, obviously was in a bad shape. He had read a lot, and he had reread and reviewed everything. He knew almost everything about Dean's new condition. He just couldn't digest it easily."Yeah. OK. Where to?"

"Just the diner we went last night?" Dean suggested.

...

"You wanna talk about it?" Dean asked as they sat at the table in the diner waiting for the waitress to come. The short journey was passed in silence and Dean was getting tired of it.

"Me? Shouldn't that be you who needs to talk?"

"Sam, I've been dealing with this thing for a long time now. I'm used to it. You on the other hand look a little unsettled."

Sam dropped his gaze."That's why you don't drink that much anymore?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Kinda."

"I thought you had changed because of spending a long time around Ben and Lisa."

"Well, that made it easier. I mean, I had to reduce the amount of my drinks when I was living with them. So it wasn't that hard when the doctor announced that I shouldn't drink or my condition will deteriorate."

"But you still drink."

"I don't know when I'll die. Will that be because of a heart attack or a hunt will go wrong. I'm not gonna drop all interesting part of life completely."

"Good evening boys. What can I bring for you tonight?" The young waitress smiled at them.

"Chicken for me." Dean smiled back.

"The same." Sam ordered and for the first time he realized that Dean hadn't ordered burgers or pizza a lot recently. The sure sign of someone on a strict diet. He wondered how he hadn't seen it before. He knew most of the times his mind had been busy with his lost year and what he had done during that time. Although Dean had warned him, he couldn't keep his mind away and suddenly he felt kind of ashamed. Dean had been struggling with his heart condition. He was suffering. Stress probably was the last thing his heart needed, and though their life was full of pressure ,the added stress could be avoided. And here he was making Dean more worried over him scratching the wall that he had been warned about.

"Earth to Sam."

"Hmm."

"Noway. I'm not gonna repeat everything again."

"Repeat what?"

"The monologue that I was giving you and I'm telling you, it was supposed to be a _dialogue_."

Sam scratched his head and looked at Dean sheepishly.

Dean rolled his eyes."Forget it. The Readers Digest version is we gotta find another job. I'll call Bobby when we get back. "

Sam nodded but then stopped."You sure that's wise? I mean with your condition and all."

Dean leaned back."Sam, do you have any idea how many cases we have solved since my heart decided to stop working properly?"

Sam waited for the waitress, who had just arrived, to put their orders on the table and go."If you needed anything else-"

Sam cut her."Yeah, OK, thanks."

She nodded and left.

"It's not her fault that I'm sick, you know." Dean grabbed his fork.

"You forgot to mention a few things about your disease, you know." Sam imitated his tone.

"Why don't you tell me. Maybe you feel better after that." Dean said casually, like he was a psychologist who was letting a patient talk, so, he would feel better after that.

Sam didn't care, though. "I don't know. Like the fact that the risk of a sudden death is not that low?"

"I've died many times before. It's nothing new."Dean grinned."The risk is not that high, either."

"I think for someone like you it's pretty high." Sam huffed."Oh, and you forgot to tell me that as a treatment you eventually may need a cardiac transplantation."He used the exact words.

"What kind of medical article did you read?" Dean frowned."There are different types of cardiomyopathy, as I'm sure you know by now. Yes, heart transplant might eventually be an option for patients with DCM, but just for those who are in advanced levels. Right now I just need to take my medications, stay on my stupid diet, have enough exercises and don't smoke. I like the last two, they're so easy."He stopped for a few seconds and then his face cracked with a grin."Dude, I almost sounded like you. I think I can give a lecture about cardiomyopathy."

Sam couldn't help but smile at that."You even used the abbreviation."

"I know, I'm awesome."Dean's grin grew wider."Now would you do that chicken a favor and eat it? It's getting cold."

...

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**... TBC ...**

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_**A/N:** Yep. Heart condition! I kinda think you haven't seen this one coming! I hope you're not disappointed! But the thing is I've seen people with less stress ending in hospitals for the same reason. So, I thought with everything Dean has been through, especially recently, it wouldn't be that weird and unbelievable to see him struggling with a heart disease! _  
><em>When I saw the pills he had offered Sam, I thought I could came up with some story about them! (Gotta admit, I thought about him being depressed, but well, I'm better in writing about a heart disease than describing all psychological issues! - Not like that I'm good in talking about heart disease. But well!- )<em>  
><em> Anyway, I changed a few things in order to write this one. Like the way he's drinking less or following a strict diet. (He really IS drinking less, though. Just watch season 5 again and you can see he's not drinking that much, anymore! And well, they don't show much about his diet. So, I happily changed it to what I needed here!)<em>

_All in all, I hope you still like this and wait for the rest to come..  
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	3. Chapter 3

"Yeah... Hmm? What's that supposed to mean?"  
>Sam woke up with Dean's voice talking to someone on the phone."Bobby, we're half the country away."<p>

_'OK, that someone is Bobby.'_ Sam deduced.

"No. not yet... Let's just say we took a day off... Yeah, yeah.. I'm fine Bobby. So is Sam... What?.. No, It's just... He found out about my problem and well-"

Sam sat on his bed looking at the bathroom door, which has Dean beyond. He tried to hear what Dean was saying, as Dean lowered his voice.

"There's nothing we could do about it. Let's just leave it there... Bobby, we've already talked about it, haven't we?... I do... Man, I'm not 10, I understand it when a doctor with that look on his face says it's serious."

With that Sam stood up. Trying hard not to walk to the bathroom and confront Dean.

"Just send me those files. We'll take care of it... I told you, I'm fine. I wouldn't risk Sam's life if I wasn't up to it."

Sam rolled his eyes._'Typical Dean'_

"You wouldn't let me in your damn place..."Dean snorted."Don't forget I still can do what Dr. Visyak asked me to do to you, or I just can easily sell you out...Huh. Don't persuade me."his voice was laced with humor."OK, I'll call you later." With that he hung up and left the bathroom, froze in his place, finding Sam standing in the middle of the room."Sammy, you alright?" Dean felt his heart started to beat faster. The look on Sam's face was somehow scary. Like he wasn't really in there.

Sam blinked."Huh? Yeah. Why shouldn't I be." The fact was that he was just shocked, he wanted to get back to the bed and pretend that he hadn't heard anything, but he hadn't found the time.

"I don't know. You looked.. I don't know.. Far away." Dean shrugged, letting his breath back to normal.

"Was that Bobby?"

"Yeah, looks like we have a new case."

"You sure?"

"Me? No. I haven't checked it yet. But Bobby's gonna send me the files."

"No, I mean you sure we should do it?"

"Isn't that our job?" Dean looked puzzled.

"I'm not so sure with your condition."

Dean exhaled heavily."Fantastic. Back to square one."

"But-"

"No buts. I haven't let this problem stop me till now and I don't intend to let it do that, now."

"So what? How long are yo gonna go on like this?" Sam sounded annoyed.

"Until I still can take a breath."Dean paused."Or.. Till I think I'm still able to help someone. I.. I'll stop the second I feel I might jeopardize your life or anyone else's." he added ruefully.

"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about you. Dean, I don't want to-.. I can't lose you."

Dean grinned."Back to old days. Huh?"

"I'm serious."

"Yeah, I know killjoy. Nothing will happen to me."

"I heard you told Bobby that it's serious."

"So? Your hearing is good?"

"Your condition is serious. And you haven't mentioned it before. Deliberately."

Dean sat behind his laptop and ignored Sam's statement.

"You're not gonna say anything?"

"No. I feel like those beds would understand what I'm saying by now, but you still haven't. So what's the point if I keep talking about it?"

"Dean."

"Sam. We have enough to be worried about. Why should we keep thinking about something that has yet to happen?"

"To avoid the worst scenarios?"

"Which is Dean dying in the middle of nowhere? I hope it happens in slow motion with a Kansas song for the soundtrack. That would be epic."Dean grinned at that."Oh, yeah, you're serious."he bit back his smile."That scenario can happen all the time. And to be honest I'd rather go down in a hunt than die from a heart attack. That's so not cool to hear the other say that _a heart attack_ had brought _'Dean Winchester'_ down." he emphasized his name.

"I don't have any chance in this, do I?"

"No."

"I'll have an eye on you. Don't think I'll let this slip away easily."

"Easily? You have been getting in my face for almost 24 hours. I wouldn't call that easy."

"Whatever. It's not over."

"Whatever. Now bring your ass here and let's check this files."

...

"Finally. I was wondering when will you wake up." said Dean as Sam woke up and sat straight on his seat.

"Where are we?"

"We have 10 minutes to Oak Ridge."

Sam's eyes widened.

"Yeah Sammy, you've slept that long."

Sam took a look at his watch."I must have been tired."

"You think?"

"So, what's the plan?"

"The plan? Nothing. As soon as we get there, we'll call it a night. I'm not gonna move a finger tonight."

"Sounds good to me." Sam yawned.

"Seriously? You still can sleep?" Dean grinned.

"Sleeping in the car doesn't count."

"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't mind to get something like that. Even if it doesn't count."

"Sorry, you must be really tired. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You kidding me, right? You were dead to the world. Nothing could wake you up."

"It wasn't like that."

"Believe me, it was. Look for a motel. We're not far from the town." Just right then Dean's phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the screen."Bobby. What's up?"

"Hey Dean. Where are you?"

"Almost there. Why?"

"You need to do some research tonight."

"Tonight? Why? What's wrong?"

"I was checking the patterns, I think tonight might be the night." Bobby said through the phone.

"Are you sure?"

"No, not really."

"Then I guess we'll check it tomorrow. We really need some rest first."

"Come on. Don't be a baby. It's hardly 10 p.m."Bobby growled.

"Yeah, but I've been driving for 15 hours now. I'm dead tired."

"It's not your first time. Dean, you need to check it. If you couldn't do it, you should've told me sooner. I could send someone else."Bobby was sounding grumpy.

Dean sighed."Fine. Dammit. Why are you so grumpy?"

"You don't act like a child and I won't be grumpy."

"Seriously Bobby, what's the problem?"

"Nothing, Dean. I just didn't expect you to ignore a hunt, just so you could rest."

Dean scowled."What? I'm not ignoring it. You think I would be here if I didn't wanna do it?"

"You well know what _one _night could mean in this life."

Dean hit the wheel and took a deep breath. Feeling a sting in his chest, he tried hard to avoid rubbing it."You said you weren't sure."

"I'm not the one there. You need to check it."

"I said fine. We'll check it. Is there anything else?"

"No, nothing that-"

"Good. Then we'll talk later." With that he ended the call and threw his phone at Sam.

"Umm, what was that about?" Sam asked a little confused.

"Nothing. Our dear Bobby just found this very moment the best to teach me how to take a hunt seriously. After almost 22 years of hunting. Isn't that just sweet?" he grumbled, hiding the fact that the only reason that he wanted to take some rest was because he felt his breathing was getting heavier and the pain in his chest had started to get annoying. Not that he couldn't do the job, it was just he wasn't sure what would happen next if he pushed himself to hard, when it wasn't really _that_ necessary. He wondered what was really wrong with Bobby. He knew about his condition, and yet one minute he was just a mother hen and the next he was acting like a jerk. He sighed."Any motel around here?"

"I thought the plan has changed." Sam said quietly.

"We still need some place to stay at. We'll unload our stuff and then we can take a look at that building."

...

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**... TBC ...**

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	4. Chapter 4

_"Nothing. Our dear Bobby just found this very moment the best to teach me how to take a hunt seriously. After almost 22 years of hunting. Isn't that just sweet?" Dean grumbled, hiding the fact that the only reason that he wanted to take some rest was because he felt his breathing was getting heavier and the pain in his chest had started to get annoying. Not that he couldn't do the job, it was just he wasn't sure what would happen next if he pushed himself to hard, when it wasn't really that necessary. He wondered what was really wrong with Bobby. He knew about his condition, and yet one minute he was just a mother hen and the next he was acting like a jerk. He sighed."Any motel around here?"_

_"I thought the plan has changed." Sam said quietly._

_"We still need some place to stay at. We'll unload our stuff and then we can take a look at that building."_

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><p>"What do you think?" Sam whispered 15 minutes after they had entered the old building.<p>

_'I don't feel like thinking at all.'_ Dean thought to himself."We haven't checked the basement yet. Let's not jump to any conclusion."

"You alright?" Sam shoved the light to his face.

Dean closed his eyes and pushed Sam's hand down."No, I feel I'm blind now."

"Bobby has really gone under your skin, hasn't he?"

Dean growled something under his breath before shaking his head. "Forget about him. We're here to finish this thing. Let's do it." he stepped first into the stairway, though he really wanted to stay back and sit for a few minutes. Or a few days.

Right when they both passed the door of the basement, the door shut behind them with a loud bang and a force shoved them both down the stairs. Luckily there weren't too many stairs and they both were well trained.

"'The fuck?" Dean growled as he sat up. Rubbing his shoulder, he looked at Sam and checked him for any obvious life-threatening injury.

"I'm fine, don't look at me like that."

"Your forehead is bleeding."

"And you're scrubbing your shoulder."

Dean stared at him silently for a few seconds before finally nodding standing up slowly."OK. That thing wouldn't keep us here just because we're lovely. It should be somewhere around."

"The question is what will be its next move."

"Whatever it is, we need to be prepared." Dean said and failed to hide the grimace when he felt his chest tightened and pain spread mercilessly through his chest.

Sam didn't fail to notice, though."What is it?"

"Huh? Nothing. Moved my shoulder too fast."

"You didn't move your shoulder."

Dean frowned."What do you mean I didn't move my shoulder? I say I did and it means I did."

"Then maybe it's dislocated that a small movement hurts it that bad."

"It's not dislocated. It's gotta be badly bruised, though. Back to the work. Shall we?"

Sam shrugged."We can't do anything when don't have anything to hunt."

"We could check the room or -" Dean stopped talking mid-sentence as the temperature suddenly dropped significantly."Guess, our host is back home." he rose his weapon. Sam followed suit.

"Come on bitch. We don't have all the time in the world and I'm sick and tired of this game."

"Dean?" Sam whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I think it's not gonna show up. I mean, seems like it's just making sure that we can't go anywhere. If we're stuck here, then it could go and play whatever game it has in mind."

"Play my ass." Dean growled."Well, then we should make sure we're the winners of the night."

"How?"

"Look for something that will lead us to her. It should be somewhere around here."

"Why should she lock us in a place where we can find her remaining or her stuff?" Sam inquired.

"We need to do something and right now that's the only thing we can do." Dean lowered his gun when he felt that the temperature got back to normal.

"And hope that she is dumb enough?"

"Hardly matches with our luck."Dean said and started to check the basement.

Half an hour had passed and they hadn't found a thing. Sam was losing his patience."It's not working. We need to find another way. Some way to get outa here."

"Then go check the door." Dean replied, only half as energetic as he was thirty minutes ago.

"It's not really your shoulder. Is it?" Sam asked worriedly.

No response.

"Dean?"

"Come over here." Dean said.

"What's it? Are you alright? O God, it's your heart. That's it. Isn't it?" Sam walked towards him.

Dean looked baffled."What are you talking about? I called you because I think I've found something."

"But you look pale."

Dean stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" Sam asked.

"What? I just told you that I might have found the lead we need to destroy that bitch for good and you're saying that I'm pale?" After what he had seen from Sam, Dean was still not used to Sam caring about him more than a case.

"Well, Excuse me if I'm worried about you."

Dean smiled."Oh, that was sweet. But would you please focus on the job while we have something at hand. It's the precious time we're wasting here."

Sam rolled his eyes."Isn't it time for you to take your medications?"

"Wow, you already figured the timetable."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Never mind. Back to work. Come on."

"Dean. Your pills."

"I don't have them here, Sam. You think I carry them in my pocket? They're in the car."

"What? Why?"

"Because I wasn't supposed to get stuck anywhere. And if you help me here, we'll be out sooner and I'll take them." Dean said before pulling out his knife and working on a timber on the ground.

Sam sighed. Admitting that Dean had a point, he sat beside him."What have you found?"

"It looks like a hidden door."

Sam looked closer."Umm. No. It doesn't really."

"Knock the floor. The sound is different here. And if you keep knocking around you'll find out that it's about ten square feet, which usually means only one thing."

"A hidden door." Sam came to the same conclusion.

"Let me do it." Sam offered a few minutes later, noticing the lines of pain and perspiration on Dean's forehead and cheeks. Dean passed the knife to him without arguing, which wasn't a good sign in Sam's experiences. He didn't mention it, though. Grabbed the knife, he worked on the floor till he finally pulled the timbers, blocking the door, away.

"Huh, this house really has a double deck _basement_. Nice." Dean's voice was a little raspy.

"What do you think is down there?"

"There's one way to find out, and we better be fast. We don't want that bitch to hurt anyone else or get her ass back here and haunt us." he started to walk down the stairs."Hey, you stay up there."

"What?" Sam's eyes widened.

"We don't need another trick for tonight. You stay up here and take care of this floor. I'll check down there." he said and walked down, not waiting for Sam to protest.

"You're already out of breath. Come up and _I_ will check there."

"Shut up."Ge paused."Ewww... Hey Sam, throw me my duffel bag." Came Dean's voice from the cellar.

"What's there? Did you find it? At least tell me what's down there." Sam grabbed Dean's bag and then set his own gun to be ready when the bitch showed up again.

"Yes, it's here. It's something between a voodoo doll and remaining of a corps."

"What do you mean?"

"Keep an eye on that floor. Would you? I can explain it later."

"Would that kill you to tell me now?"

"Patience is virtue." Dean grumbled."The body is hanging from a beam and there are lots of these... umm, large needles? protruding out of it. There are some witchcraft and stuff all around the body, hanging from the ceiling or on the ground and it _really_ stinks in here. That's just gross."

"Good thing you didn't let me in." Sam teased.

"Don't be to ha-" Dean's voice trailed off and a gun shot was heard after that. Sam jumped into action and ignored Dean's shouts, ordering him to stay upside."Dean." he yelled.

"Sam, No. Stay up there before -" Dean tried, but it was too late. The door behind Sam slammed shut and once again they got stuck in another room."Before that." Dean completed wearily.

Sam looked up at the closed door and huffed a sigh."Ahhh. Not again."

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**... TBC ...**

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	5. Chapter 5

_"Good thing you didn't let me in." Sam teased._

_"Don't be to ha-" Dean's voice trailed off and a gun shot was heard after that. Sam jumped into action and ignored Dean's shouts, ordering him to stay upside."Dean." he yelled._

_"Sam, No. Stay up there before -" Dean tried, but it was too late. The door behind Sam slammed shut and once again they got stuck in another room."Before that." Dean completed wearily._

_Sam looked up at the closed door and huffed a sigh."Ahhh. Not again."_

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><p>.<p>

Dean didn't say anything, he just stood up and went to the body."We need to burn this."

"Are you nuts? We can't do that while we're in here."

"That's exactly what that bitch wanted to happen. If we don't burn it, another innocent will die tonight and it'll be our fault."

"I know and I'm sorry about it. But first we need to find a way to get out."

"Sam, it's half past midnight, which means we only have another thirty minutes.. You work on the door.. I'll burn the body."

"Dean. Wait. Think about it. You're sick. Smoke inhalation could be the end of you."

"Thanks for clarifying. The door is closed with a supernatural power. Once the corpse is gone, the doors will be open."

"It still could be too late."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."Dean shrugged.

"What? You've a better idea? I'm all ears." Dean said when Sam kept staring at him.

Sam thought for a few seconds. Dean had a point. Not only that bitch would kill another innocent in less than half an hour brutally, but also it could keep them there forever. They need to do something. Fast. "You stay away. I'll burn it. It would be better if you lie down." he said, surrendering to Dean's words while still trying to keep him away.

Dean looked at him with raised eyebrow.

"Smoke is light, if you lie down-"

"I know that. It just looks ridiculous for me to lie down and watch you have all the fun." Dean chuckled. "It's like lying down and watching a 3D movie."

"Well, then enjoy it." Sam grabbed the fuel and lighter.

"I can't. We forgot to bring popcorn." Dean sat down with his shotgun in his hand ready to shoot anything that would appear from nowhere.

"Lie down."

"No. This is the best thing I can do. To sit here and let you do all the hard work. I wouldn't lie down on this crappy floor."

"You were lying on it a few minutes ago."

"That wasn't my choice. I got up as fast as I could. I cannot have a clear shot while lying down. Now hurry up already." As if on cue, right then the shabby looking woman appeared on the basement, but before she could do anything or hurt Sam, Dean shot her."Hurry up." he repeated to Sam.

Sam poured the fuel on the body and the other stuff around her, while Dean, now on his feet, was busy shooting the _ghost-witch_ with his and Sam's gun. As soon as the fire started up, her shriek filled the small room, making both Dean and Sam leave whatever they had in their hands, to be able to cover their ears.

"She's gone." Sam let out after a few seconds, felt like coughing because of the smoke. Receiving no response, he turned to find Dean leaning against a wall, clutching his chest with his right hand. The smoke had already made Sam feel out of breath and his chest had started aching. If _he_ was feeling so bad, how would Dean feel with a heart disease."Dammit." Sam was at his side in a heartbeat. "Dean. Oh God. Dean, lie down. standing up will make it worse. Lie down and I'll try the door." he eased Dean to the floor.

The lack of protest from Dean made him feel even worse. He rushed to the door and tried to open it. When the door didn't budge, he felt his heart sank_.'That's it. After all kinda hell we've been through, this stupid not-really-important hunt is gonna be the end of us._' he thought. Right when he had started to feel helpless, the door clicked and flew open. He stared at it for a few seconds, a wide smile forming on his face. The smoke started to leave the basement quickly as he ran down the stairs to help Dean.

"You were right. The door is open now. "

"Stuff. Grab 'em." Dean rasped, his eyes squeezed shot in pain.

Sam immediately collected their stuff and helped Dean up."Come on. Let's get you out of here."

With Sam's help they slowly made their ways out of the cursed house. Once out, Dean sagged down to the ground.

"Where are your pills?" Sam asked, crouching in front of him.

"The bag.. on the backseat." Dean rasped, his hand shaking badly.

Sam noticed it and decided that it would be better if he takes Dean to a hospital."Calm on, just a few more steps." he helped Dean up, one more time and guided him towards the passenger side of the car.

...

"Someone.. Pleaseو help me."Sam rushed to nurse station, 20 minutes later. Dean's condition had deteriorated quickly and by the time Sam had reached the hospital, he had lost consciousness and his pulse was so thready and unsteady.

"What's wrong, sir?" A nurse asked.

"My brother. He's in our car. He has.. Umm.."he had to think to remember the name of Dean's disease. Remembering Dean's words, he said."DCM.. That heart disease. And he had inhaled smoke less than an hour ago."

The nurse's eyes widened at the receiving information. "Page doctor Harris and bring a gurney outside. Hurry up." she said to her colleague before leaving her seat to follow Sam outside. She opened the passenger door and checked Dean's neck for his pulse. She frowned at what she felt under her fingers and turned around to see if her colleagues were there yet.

A few seconds later nurses and doctors emerged out and were all around Dean. Placing him on the gurney and rushing to the entrance of hospital and then to a trauma room, they left Sam behind, shell shocked and with lots of unpleasant thought.

...

"Umm, Sir?"

Sam opened his eyes and looked at the petite nurse.

"First, one of our doctors is ready to check you for your injuries and smoke inhalation, as well. Second, we need you to fill some forms." She informed.

"I don't need a check-up. Just give me those forms. Any news from my brother, yet?" Sam asked.

"Not yet, I'm sorry. If you come over here and let our doctor help you, I'm sure I'll be able to find something about your brother."She smiled.

Sam considered the condition and nodded."OK. Thanks.. Umm-"

"Haley. Haley Manns. And you are?"

"Ah, Sam." Sam rummaged through his pocket and brought out an insurance card and passed it to Haley."Sam Reynolds. My brother is Dean."

"Alright Sam. Come with me and then I'll go check on Dean."

...

"Hey Sam?" Haley called when he found Sam coming back from restroom.

"Have you heard anything from Dean?" Sam walked towards her faster.

She shook her head."I talked to one of his nurses, but they're still working on him. I'm sure his doctor will be out soon to talk to you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Nothing that a proper sleep and a cup of coffee can't heal."Sam gave her a smile which didn't reach his eyes."You said I need to fill some forms."

"Yeah, well. I filled them for you with the information on your card. You just need to fill a few fields."She handed him the papers and left him to fill it.

Some minutes later he heard Haley walked back."Sam. This is doctor Harris."

Sam turned to the old experienced man."Hi. How's Dean?"

Harris smiled."Hi Mr. Reynolds. Well, we managed to stabilize your brother for the moment. It took us a while, but I think he's fine at the moment."

Sam wasn't sure what to say or ask next.

Harris got the problem and continued."I decided to call his situation serious for the night and if he shows the progress we hope, we'll move him out of CICU, by tomorrow afternoon."

"So, he's gonna be fine?"

"As fine as that heart disease will let him."he replied with a little sorrow in his voice.

Sam swallowed. "His condition has worsened, hasn't it?"

"The smoke inhalation hasn't helped for sure. But I don't see any reason why he can't get to what he used to do before that. He'll probably will feel more pain and his breathing will be shallower and sometimes harder for a while. But hopefully it'll return to the way any other patient with DCM is experiencing."

"What about his medications. Does he need to take any other thing? I mean.. Well, I don't know what he exactly is taking right now. But-"

"No. The medications are usually to slow down the progression of the disease. He can stay on the same diet and medication. He just needs to take it easy for a while. He has sustained a slight lung inflammation. He has arrhythmia and with his heart not able to pump blood efficiently, the risk of syncope, systemic embolism or cardiac arrest is pretty high at the moment."

"cardiac arrest?" Sam paled at that. "What should I do if that happens? What should we do to prevent it."

"Calm down. I just said the risks are high. Doesn't mean it'll necessarily happen. We'll keep him here for observation and I'm sure he knows what to do after that. Patients with these kind of chronic diseases learn how to live their regular lives. You don't need to worry." Harris was experienced enough to notice that it hasn't been long since Sam had found out about his brother's problem.

"Is he awake? Can I see him?"

"He's exhausted. I think he might be asleep again. But yes, you can see him and you can stay with him. Well, actually not like that." he nodded to Sam's dingy clothes.

Sam looked down at himself. Blinking several times, he finally looked up."I .. I.."

Harris smiled. "Don't worry. You can wear a set of scrubs and let the orderlies wash these for you."

"Oh, thanks."

"No problem young man. Haley will help you and then she'll lead you to your brother's room. If you had any questions, I'll come by again to check on his condition and we'd talk then."

Sam nodded his thanks and let Haley lead him away.

...

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**... TBC ...**

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	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N**: I'm so sorry for this long delay, I've been really busy.. But here is the last chapter!:D_  
><em>Hope you like it!<em>

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><p>.<p>

They all had been in that situation far too many times. It was nothing new to Sam, but it still hurt nevertheless. Watching Dean lying on that bed with an oxygen mask covering his face, Sam couldn't help but be mad at Bobby. He wasn't sure why, but he knew if it wasn't for Bobby, they wouldn't be there.

"Why are you wearing scrubs?" Dean's voice was muffled by the mask and too weak.

"Hey, you're awake."

"Why scrubs? You hurt?" Dean mumbled again.

"How do you do that? You haven't even opened your eyes yet."

"I did enough to see you."

"I'm not hurt. They wouldn't let me in here with those dirty clothes."

"You sure?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'm sure. How are you feeling?"

"Gooood." Dean murmured.

"Yeah, I bet." Sam sighed. "I'm gonna kill Bobby."

Dean's eyes widened in shock. The monitor showing his heartbeats started to go crazy.

"Oh, No no no.. I didn't really mean it." understanding his mistake, Sam reassured quickly.

Dean looked at him, waiting for him to explain.

"Seriously, Dean. I've my soul back. I'm not gonna walk around and kill people anymore." Sam sounded a bit offended.

"I know, Sammy. Sorry. Guess, I'm just still a little out of it. I'm sorry."

"That's OK. Not your fault. You've been around the other me way too long."

"Now, why are you mad at Bobby?" Dean decided to change the subject back.

"Because you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"He was right about the pattern. I'm glad he insisted to check it fast." Dean removed his mask.

"You need that, you know." Sam pointed to the mask. His phone started to ring. "Speaking of the devil." Sam said as he checked his phone. "Put that thing back on your face, would you?" he added before standing up to leave the room.

"Don't rip him a new one." Dean smiled wearily.

"I see what I can do." Sam smiled back and walked out, letting the medications and exhaustion lead Dean back to the oblivion of sleep.

"What?" he snapped at Bobby as soon as he walked away from the CICU.

"Sam. What the hell?"

"You tell me. What do you want, now?" Sam said trying to regain his composure.

"I wanted to know what you two did. Did you get that bitch?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And that's it. The job is done. Now if you don't mind I gotta go."

"I tried Dean's phone, first. It was off. Where is he?" Bobby was feeling more comfortable around Dean and didn't really like to call Sam. "Is he alright?"

"He'll be. No thanks to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You knew about Dean's condition and despite what he told you about being tired and needing rest, you didn't give a damn and made us go to check that building. And now Dean is in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit of a goddamn hospital." Sam said, keeping his voice low.

"He told me he was fine before I ask him to go. I didn't have any other option, the other night." Bobby retorted, but then calmed down. "CICU? Why? What's wrong? Is it his heart? How's he?"

Sam felt the concern in his voice and sighed. "Things got complicated. We got stuck in a basement and had to burn the body so it wouldn't kill anyone else."

"You burnt it _while_ you were in there?" Bobby asked incredulously.

"You know how Dean could be when it's come to the others' safety. We didn't have any other choice."

"You two idiots." Bobby shouted.

"Shut up Bobby." Sam suddenly felt really tired." Sorry. But really, I'm not in a mood to get insulted. Dean is lying in there still in a serious condition and at the risk of immediate cardiac arrest because you didn't listen to him when he said he needed rest. His recent problem is not because of smoke inhalation, he was feeling intense pain before we started to burn the body."

Bobby was silent for a few seconds. "I didn't know. You're right. I must have paid more attention. But you were the only ones there. I didn't have much of a choice."

Sam sighed. "I know. But it's not fair to blame Dean for this, even though he's the one who's too stubborn to leave this life behind."

"He can't. It's easy to say. But I can understand him"

"I don't know. Maybe I'd do the same. I'm just worried." Sam said with a smooth tone.

"I know and I'm sorry to be the reason for him ending up in that hospital with so much pain." Bobby wished he had checked things earlier, so he could send the boys sooner. If they weren't in so much hurry, they wouldn't be where they were at that moment.

"Not really your fault, either. I shouldn't have blamed you. I'm gonna go sit with Dean. His doctors believes that he's gonna be fine. He says that Dean knows how to deal with this situation." Sam paused. "Just what has he been through?"

"That would be a lie if I say that I know for sure. He doesn't open up to anyone that much." Bobby said ruefully. "It has been a while and I'm sure he has suffered way more than what he lets out."

"I kinda feel it's my fault."

"What? How did you jump to that conclusion?"

"He was fine last year. Everything has started with me walking around, doing stupid things and not even wanting my soul back."

"Sam, it wasn't _you_. You can't blame yourself for what _YOU_ never wanted to happen. Dean doesn't want it. Besides, with the life he's been living for the past 28 years, I'm kinda wondering how it took him that long to get sick. He never shows his feelings and buries all his problems. He puts everyone's well-being and happiness ahead of himself. No wonder he has ended up here." Bobby sounded regretful, as he wished he was there more for Dean.

Sam swallowed against the lump in his throat and bit back tears that threatened to fall. That was true that his brother cared about the others more than anyone Sam had ever seen. He knew that Dean took everything to heart. "I gotta go." Sam forced out.

Bobby can feel that Sam was on the edge of tears. It has been years since the last time Sam had cried. "OK, son. Tell your brother that I'm sorry and call me when you can. I need to talk to him."

"I will. Thanks Bobby." he ended the call with that.

Sam walked quietly back to Dean's room. This time he was fast asleep and his mask was replaced by a nasal cannula. The sound of the machine, monitoring his heart rate, wasn't steady or normal, though.

"ECG abnormalities are nothing unusual. It's because of his heart condition, not his recent problem." The nurse explained as she paced into the room and caught Sam's look at the machine.

Sam turned his gaze and smiled. "Somehow it's not comforting."

"I know. It's hard to watch someone you love suffering from a chronic disease like that." she checked Dean's vital, smiled one more time at Sam and started to walked out.

"When can I get out of here?" Dean's voice stopped her.

"Good to see you awake." she smiled, or better to say kept the smile in place. "You're still in intensive care."

"Yeah, thanks. I know that much." Dean replied.

She tipped her head. "Then you should know that your question is not that appropriate right now. If things go the way your doctor expects, then we'll move you from CICU to a regular ward. There you should probably stay for a couple of days before they release you."

"That long?" Dean huffed. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"Rest?" She grinned.

"Easy for you to say." Dean said glumly. "I can't stay in a bed more than 4 hours for night's sleep and you want me rest for at least three days? I gotta talk to my doctor."

"We'll find something for you to do while you're here. But you'll stay Dean. Don't push yourself too hard." Sam interjected.

Dean rolled his eyes and nodded his thanks to the nurse as she left them alone. "You didn't eat him alive, did you?" He looked at Sam.

"No, actually we came to the same conclusion that _you_ are a stubborn ass."

"WOW, thank you. I'm flattered. I knew I shouldn't let you two talk together, alone."

"How are you feeling, now?" Sam leaned back.

"Much better. Like I'm all fine to leave."

"Well, but you're not. This ECG confirms my words."

"That ECG doesn't say anything. It has been like that since I was diagnosed with DCM. You heard the nurse." Dean pointed to the door where the nurse had just passed.

"Weren't you asleep?"

"I was. But I still can hear what's going on around me." Dean pointed out.

"Bobby apologized." Sam said suddenly.

"Oh, then you _did_ eat him alive."

"No. Actually he felt bad, himself, as soon as he heard what had happened."

"You didn't need to tell him."

"He asked." Sam shrugged.

"Not his fault, anyway. If there's anyone to blame, it's that bitch."

"Good thing she's gone. Right?"

"Damn right." Dean nodded. "She was stupid, but smart at the same time."

"She obviously hadn't counted on our stupidity." Sam let out a laugh. "As much as I agree that it was the only option, I doubt anyone else would go that way. They would probably call someone and wait there for help to arrive."

"And let that bitch kill another innocent." Dean deduced.

Sam pressed his lip together. "That too. But we're not anyone else." he smiled at Dean, assuring him that he was on his side.

"That's what makes us so special.. And scary." Dean grinned cockily.

"Yeah, you really look scary, right now."

"Bring a demon here and I'll show you how scary I can get, even in pajamas and on a hospital bed." Dean pouted childishly, making Sam laugh again.

"Save your energy. You'll need it if you're gonna convince your doctor to release you sooner."

"You're gonna help me with that?" Dean's eyes shined.

"I'd rather be on your side." Sam muttered." Just as long as you behave." he added quickly.

"Gee. Thanks. Sure Mommy."

"Whatever. I'm sick of the smell of hospitals. If you end up here for any reasons other than your usual checkup, I'll trade all your tapes with the newest album of Jenifer Lopez."

"You still so sappy?" Dean wrinkled his nose.

"I just love my ears."

"No you are just too sissy."

"Sappy and sissy... What next?"

"Chatty?"

"Geez. Thanks." Sam hit him in the arm." Does that mean you wanna sleep? You can just say shut up."

"Shut up." Dean smirked.

"Shutting up." Sam smiled. "I'm gonna see if I can take my clothes back. Then I'll come back and get some shut-eye, as well."

"You can go back to the motel. We've already paid for the night."

"You won't get rid of me. So shut up and sleep."

"Suit yourself." Dean shrugged and hide a grimace as a hot pain ran through his chest.

"I'll also call your doctor." Sam stood up, showing Dean that he knew he was in pain.

Dean looked up at him. "It's not that bad. I can handle it."

"I'll call your doctor."

"Whatever. Just change those scrubs. You look funny."

"It's better than pajamas."

"Get out." Dean growled.

Sam laughed softly and left the room to find Dean's doctor, knowing that it must have been bad that Dean couldn't hide the pain, anymore. He knew pain shouldn't alarm him normally, but Dean was still in the CICU and as much as he pretended that he was fine, his condition was still serious and he was at the risk of cardiac arrest.  
>No. Sam wasn't ready to let things go sour that fast. He was going to take care of it as much as he could. He wanted to be there for Dean for once. To put him ahead of everything else and keep him <em>and<em> their relationship safe.  
>He needed his brother. He wasn't going to lose him again. Not when it seemed like that things were getting back to normal and definitely not when he needed Dean the most, to fix the mistakes he had made during his time hunting alone.<br>OK, that was not true, he had _always_ needed Dean. During his childhood. After Stanford. During the apocalypse that he has started. And many other times. Dean was the only person who could keep him balanced and who would always be there for him, no matter what the hell he had done wrong. He was the most forgiving, kindhearted person in his world.  
>Sam smiled ruefully at that. Tossing another glance at Dean through the wide window of his room, he walked towards the nurse station. He was determined to have Dean's back and be there for him for a change. Although it still sounded selfish as <em>he<em> was the one who needed Dean and was doing it somehow for his own, he couldn't help but want it. Dean was his big brother, after all. How could he go on without him?

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****-The End-****

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><p><strong><em>AN2: OK, that's it... Let me know what you think. :)_ **

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